Disclaimer: Harry Potter does not belong to me.
AN: Hello everyone and thank you for clicking on this story. Not sure how or where this is going to go, but I want to give it a shot - hope you enjoy!
Prologue
"Miss Andromeda, Miss Andromeda!" Hokey, one of my family's house elves, was calling after me, but this? a game, myself, seven, and I did not grasp the brevity of the situation whatsoever.
"Hokey, let's go!" I begged, spinning around. "Please! Mother and father won't mind, just this once, please?" I knew I could command her, and, as a Black, she would have to obey, but that had always felt wrong to me. My older sister, Bellatrix, and even my younger sister Narcissa, who was only four, had no problem demanding to get their way. Bellatrix rather enjoyed it. But something twisted in the pit of my stomach when the poor creatures were forced to obey, and I felt even worse when I saw them hurting themselves if they did not. My father called me soft, said that I should learn to wield my power and my last name like Bellatrix. I did so desperately want to be like my older sister, but not in this way.
Hokey shuffled through the trees, sunlight flickering through the branches above across her face and huge brown eyes. They were even larger now, because she was worried.
"Miss Andromeda, I is worried you is going to get in trouble," she whispered, nervously adjusting the strap of her tea cloth on her shoulder. "Master Black will not be happy if we stray this far from the manor, no he won't."
"It'll be okay, Hokey, I promise!" I assured her, taking her hand. "We always go for walks and this is just a tiny bit further. I can hear a waterfall. Don't you want to see? We haven't been outside in ages!" I had half a mind to just start running, but I didn't want Hokey to get in trouble for losing me. In my mind, we would be fine as long as we stuck together. No one would get in trouble.
"Master Black did say it would be alright to walk outside and get some fresh air," Hokey was nodding to herself, and though a shudder ran through her body, a look of determination crossed her eyes. "Miss Andromeda has not been allowed outside for two weeks now, and a child should play outside. A child should play outside," she repeated, and her hand tightened in mine. "Let's walk, Miss Andromeda," she said in her squeaky voice, and my face broke into a grin.
I relished the crunching sound of my feet over leaves and branches; spotting one not far ahead that looked rather wand-like, I dropped Hokey's hand to race and pick it up. Smooth and just my size, I brandished it with a twirl. "Look, Hokey! I'm just like mother and father!" I announced, waving it around and imagining that gold sparks were flying from the tip. "I can't wait to go to Hogwarts." I began to skip, looking over my shoulder to make sure Hokey was following me. We had to stop several times to disentangle my waist-length brown hair from briars and branches.
"I'm going to miss you at Hogwarts," I continued, still waving my pretend wand. "Are you sure they won't let elves in? Bellatrix says no, but I think they could make an exception." I continued to skip down the deer path, deeper and deeper into the woods. I knew that it was sunny outside, but we were so far back into the woods behind our family's secluded manor that sunshine was a distant memory. It wasn't scary, though; merely exciting. This was just another adventure.
"Hokey?" I turned around, squinting my eyes when she didn't answer. "Hokey...where did you go?" For the first time I felt a small amount of fear began to take root inside of me, but I turned back around, determined to keep going. "Hokey, let's-" I gasped suddenly as a glint of gold caught the corner of my eye.
"Hello?" I called out cautiously, looking to where I was sure I'd just seen someone - or something - dart behind a tree. "Who's there? I can see you!" I called, my voice braver than I felt. I held my "wand" out in front of me, suddenly very aware that it was, after all, only a stick. All of my previous bravado seemed to fade away, and I felt very small in the midst of the towering trees. Somewhere in the distance, the shrill call of a bird sent chills down my spine.
Slowly, a pale face hiding under a mop of blonde hair - the bit of gold I'd seen - peeked around the tree. A boy roughly my age, looking just as scared as I was.
"It's okay, you can come out," I called, cautious. I had so rarely seen other children; other than the occasional family friend mother and father brought over - the Lestranges, the Dolohovs, the Rosiers - and of course, the other Blacks, my cousins, Sirius and Regulus, but they were only babies.
"Hello," the young boy said cautiously, stepping towards me. He was wearing ratty, ripped shorts and some sort of t-shirt with some sort of red and blue person perched on the edge of a building, shooting some sort of string out of his hands. It read, "The Amazing Spiderman." I wondered if he was some sort of magical creature I hadn't yet heard of. Maybe there was a Spiderman in these woods!
"I'm Andromeda Black. I've never seen anyone in these woods before, who are you?" I asked curiously. There were about three meters of cautious space between the two of us; we eyed each other with careful curiosity, the both of us edging slightly closer and closer. I drank in his messy blonde hair, bright brown eyes, the smudge of dirt on his cheek and his knees. This boy looked fun. I had known him for all of twenty seconds but I already knew he was adventure, and I already desperately, desperately wanted him as my friend.
"I'm Teddy," the boy said, reaching out his hand slowly. Just as slowly, I reached out to take it. We shook hands, and a tingle of excitement jolted through my body. "It's nice to meet you."
Suddenly I heard my father's voice in my head - "When meeting a potential mate, always ask for their surname. Compare to the sacred 28, and proceed accordingly." I tried hard to remember the surnames of the sacred 28 families - the purebloods, the suitable partners and friends in our society - but my mind was so full of excitement I couldn't remember a one.
"What's your surname?" I asked, trying to at least attempt to do as I was supposed to.
"Oh - it's Tonks," the little boy explained. "Teddy Tonks. Do you live close by?" I digested this information for a moment. Tonks...I wasn't sure one way or the other if I had heard this surname, and suddenly fear twisted in my gut. I could still hear my father's shouts echoing in my mind. "Are you…" I began uncomfortably. "You know. A...pureblood?"
"What's a pureblood?" Teddy asked curiously.
"Erm...it's when your Mum is a witch and your Dad is a wizard," I quoted.
Teddy's face broke into a smile and he laughed. "You're funny, Dromeda." I started at this version of my name - no one had ever called me Dromeda before, but...I liked it. "Witches and wizards aren't real."
My brow furrowed. Was he joking? "What do you mean?" I asked him, suddenly feeling very foolish for still holding onto the stick-wand I had found. I let it drop behind me as discreetly as I could, onto the mossy forest floor.
"Well...those sort of things, witches and wizards and fairies and vampires. They're just stories," Teddy explained confidently. "But we can play that if you want, I do love to play games. We can be friends, you and I."
My eyes widened in surprise. This boy wanted to be my friend! "Yes, please!" I exclaimed, clapping my hands together. "But Teddy, I am a witch," I told him, and I felt it was important that he knew this, though suddenly the notion of last names and pureblood did not matter one tiny bit.
"Okay, Dromeda," Teddy nodded. "And I'll be a wizard. Should we be good or evil?"
"Let's be good, I don't like evil," I shuddered. Suddenly, my new friend's face grew pale as a ghost and his eyes flickered to something behind me.
"Wh-wh-" he pointed, whispering. He stepped backwards in alarm and I whipped around, heart suddenly racing - what had he seen? A werewolf? A spiderman?
But it was only Hokey - she had just stepped through the trees into the clearing Teddy and I stood in, and she was staring at us both in horror.
"Hokey! There you are! It's okay Teddy," I reassured him, slipping my hand into his. "It's just Hokey. She is part of my family, she's a house elf."
"Bloody hell!" Teddy swore, and my mouth dropped open.
"Teddy, it's not nice to swear," I chided him, my brown eyes meeting his. The color was starting to slowly return to his face, but I could tell he was spooked. "Teddy, doesn't your family have house elves?"
"No...I don't know what a house elf is! Is it going to hurt us?" His voice wavered slightly, but I could tell he was trying to be brave. He stepped in front of me slightly, as if to shield me from Hokey. If it was possible, Hokey's eyes had grown even wider and shone with fear. I was completely confused by both of their reactions, I didn't understand at all. I looked back and forth between the two of them.
"No, she's my friend," I explained to him. "Hokey, what's the matter?"
Our house elf was running toward us quickly, and Teddy was tensing as if to start running the opposite direction.
"Miss Andromeda!" She squeaked, panting. "Let go of his hand - oh, bad Hokey, bad Hokey!" She began to smack herself in the head. "I should not have let Miss Andromeda walk this far, I lost Miss Andromeda and now Miss Andromeda is holding hands with a muggle boy, oh, Master Black is going to punish poor Hokey severely, maybe even with clothes," she took gulping breaths, taking my other hand and wrenching me away from Teddy.
"Hey!" I cried, shaking my hand loose of Hokey's. "He's not a muggle, he's my friend!" Poor Teddy looked like he was about to cry. "Don't listen to her Teddy, she's just nervous. Hokey, it's okay, I promise."
Hokey was still eyeing Teddy with fear, attempting to grab my hand again while intermittently twisting her ears and hitting her head. I could feel tears starting to well up in my own eyes. I hated seeing the house elves hurt themselves, and I was starting to put the pieces together in my mind.
"Teddy," I said slowly, turning to my friend. "I think you may be a muggle. But it's okay, I still want to be your friend." I was a bit confused about this because father and mother and Bellatrix and Aunt Walburga always said that muggles stank, and Teddy didn't smell bad. He didn't seem like he was stupid either. Maybe only some muggles smelled bad and weren't very smart - I wouldn't know because I had never met one before.
"Muggles can't get into these woods, they can't come near the property," Hokey was whispering. "Mistress and Master Black charmed these woods, they did, and no one can come in.
"My parents and I live just down the river on Alexander Court," Teddy explained, trying to help even though he himself looked extremely confused. He had, however, recovered from his shock. "Mrs. Hokey, I've never seen an elf before-"
"The muggle mustn't speak to Hokey!" Hokey shrieked, putting her fingers in her ears and clamping her eyes shut. "Hokey will have to shut her fingers in the oven door!" She moaned, swaying back and forth on her feet.
"Teddy," I whispered quietly, so Hokey wouldn't hear. "I have to take Hokey home, she's scared. We can meet here tomorrow morning after breakfast, okay? Promise?" I asked desperately, staring into his eyes.
He nodded fervently. "I promise. I'll come straight here."
"You won't forget, will you?" I suddenly felt very shy.
"Never!" Teddy promised, shaking his head. "It was very nice to meet you, Dromeda."
And with that, I reluctantly allowed Hokey, still trembling and moaning, to take my hand - we disapparated with a crack and appeared right back in my bedroom as if the entire thing had never even happened.
"Teddy?" I called, looking over my shoulder for the hundredth time to make sure I hadn't been followed. There was nothing behind me but trees that scraped the sky and birds swooping in and out of branches. A baby deer had scampered across my path on the way here, and I thought I had even seen a unicorn out of the corner of my eye - though that may have been wishful thinking on my part. I had almost given up when I heard the sound of running footsteps crunching over leaves and twigs, and the panting breath of my new friend, Teddy Tonks. My face broke into a huge grin as I saw him emerge through the trees down the path, running towards me. He was wearing the same shorts as yesterday but a different t-shirt, this one with a large green man depicted on the front. This one read "Hulk - SMASH!" I wasn't sure what a Hulk was either. But if Teddy was a muggle, maybe it was a muggle thing.
He ran right to me and crashed into me, wrapping his arms around me in a bear hug. I stumbled slightly and lost my balance; we tumbled to the ground, but seemed to float so gently down that landing didn't hurt at all. We rolled over each other, laughing. When we sat up I had twigs and leaves all stuck in my hair, but I didn't mind. Teddy helped me pull them out.
"I was afraid that I had dreamt you!" Teddy confessed to me as we stood up, walking towards the edge of the small river. We perched at the top of a large boulder, sitting side by side.
"Me too," I told him truthfully. The full truth was, I hadn't been able to sleep the last night because I was so excited to see him again. I had made Hokey promise not to tell anyone about Teddy; this was the first time I had commanded her to do anything. She, in turn, made me promise not to go into the woods alone, or go looking for him...I only felt a tiny bit bad about breaking this promise.
"Dromeda," Teddy began, turning to face me. "I told my mother about you and the elf, Mrs. Hokey, and about these woods, and she said she had never seen this woods before and that it's just a construction site with a keep out sign. She told me not to come back here and she says that she's worried about me and that I have an overactive imagination. She also said elves weren't real."
"That's because she's a muggle," I nodded knowingly. "A muggle is someone who doesn't have magic, Teddy. I wasn't making it up," I told him, searching through my pockets. "You're a muggle too, but it's okay. I don't mind. I brought something to show you, too. I borrowed my sister Bellatrix's practice wand. She got it for her birthday when she turned eight. I'm seven now, and Mother and Father say I'll get one when I'm eight as well. How old are you?" I asked him.
"I'm seven too!" He said proudly. "And my little sister is one and my brother is nine. They're called Ella and Edmund. And my name is Edward but everyone calls me Teddy except when they're mad at me."
"I don't have any brothers but I have a little sister and a big sister, and they're called Bellatrix and Narcissa," I explained.
"Those are funny names!" Teddy laughed. "Oh, sorry. I wasn't trying to be mean. I just meant, I had never heard of them before. Do all witches and wizards have names like that?" I wasn't sure if he had come to terms with the fact that I really was a witch, or if he was just playing along to be nice.
"I'm not really sure," I shrugged. "Mother's other name is Druella and Father's other name is Cygnus. And I have a cousin named Sirius and another new baby cousin named Regulus - oh, here it is!" I finally found the practice wand in my robe pockets. I pulled out the short stick and gave it a wave. I felt a tingle of excitement as green sparks shot from the wand, glittering around us before winking out.
Teddy's eyes grew wide as saucers. "How did you do that?" He asked excitedly, reaching out hesitantly towards the wand and then snatching his hand away. "Sorry. Erm...do you mind if I try?" He asked shyly, and I smiled at him.
"Go ahead. But I don't think it will work-"
The second he picked up the wand, the breeze picked up and swirled around us as if we were caught in our own small windstorm. My hair and the leaves on the boulder with us floated in midair, suspended at eye level. I laughed out loud, delighted, as I looked at my floating brown waves. Teddy's mouth had dropped open in shock, his warm brown eyes as big as saucers.
"Wow!" I laughed, grabbing his wrist. "Teddy, you told me you weren't a wizard!"
"I...I'm not," he whispered, quickly putting the wand down. The wind immediately died, and my hair settled back down around my shoulders. The leaves fell silently back to the forest floor. Teddy stared at the wand that he had placed back in my lap.
"You can try again if you want," I told him, and he eagerly snatched it back up as if he'd been waiting for my permission. The same thing happened again; this time, we both laughed with delight.
"I think you are a wizard, Teddy!" I said, delighted. "Maybe you can go to Hogwarts with me!" My heart swelled at the thought of it.
"What's Hogwarts?" He asked curiously, giving the wand a small wave. This time, yellow sparks flew from the end. He looked a bit startled at this, and did it once more.
"You've never heard of Hogwarts?! Oh, I keep forgetting you're a mu-well, you're not a muggle though, are you?" I frowned at him. "You know what, Teddy, I think you're a Mudblood," I told him knowingly.
"What's a Mudblood?" The word sounded foreign in his mouth and suddenly I felt as though I had said something bad, something dirty, like a swear word. I had never thought about it before - Mother and Father and Bellatrix said that word all the time, but when I said it, for the first time I realized what it meant.
"It means your parents are muggles," I explained to him. "And I'm sorry Teddy, I'm not quite sure but I think that "Mudblood" may be a bad word. I'll have to ask my parents."
"Is it bad, to be a Mudblood?" He asked anxiously.
I hesitated before answering. "No," I lied, but I looked down at my lap. "It's not bad, Teddy. You're my friend no matter what."
"Do you hear that?" Teddy asked suddenly, and my head snapped up.
"...ANDROMEDA!" I could hear a far off voice roaring, and I gasped suddenly and grabbed Teddy's hand. Absolute terror rocked through my body, and I couldn't tell if it was my hand or Teddy's that was shaking.
"That's Father," I gasped, tears welling in my eyes with shock. "Teddy, you have to run! Run away, please!" I begged, jumping off the rock and stuffing Bella's practice wand down into my robe pockets once more.
"Who is that?" Teddy questioned, squinting into the woods. "Is that your Dad? Is he angry with you?"
"Yes!" I cried. I could hear him shouting my name, growing closer and closer, and to say he sounded angry would have been the understatement of the century. I could hear another noise as well - the sound of some sort of dull thwack, and Hokey's voice crying out in pain. I was still shaking, and I could feel a tear or two beginning to slip down my cheeks. Teddy's face was pale and drawn, and he tried to take my hand again. "Teddy, please," I moaned. "Please run away.
"Bad Hokey, bad Hokey, bad Hokey!" I began to hear, and I spun around just in time to see my father emerging through the trees with Hokey in tow. He was pulling her by her huge ears, every once in a while delivering a sharp blow to the back of her head.
"Father, stop!" I yelled, putting my hands out. I turned again towards Teddy, who was frozen in fear. "RUN!" I screamed at him, shaking him out of his trance. "I'll be okay Teddy, you need to RUN!" I wasn't sure how I knew, but I did know down to the bottom of my heart that if stuck around, something bad would happen.
"GET BACK HERE, YOU FILTHY MUGGLE!" My father yelled as Teddy turned around and bolted. His face was red with rage and he sent a blast of red light through the trees where Teddy had just disappeared. I let out a scream, throwing my hands forward towards my father in pure terror. To my shock, he tumbled backwards, his wand flying. Hokey tumbled away as well, though now that my father wasn't hurting her anymore she went back to hurting herself. It took my father a moment to regain his balance and stand back up, but by then, Teddy was long gone.
It was all the better, because my father seemed to have forgotten about him. Now, he turned his attention to me. My knees went weak as I stared up at him, black hair a mess and eyes glittering with anger.
"You little bitch," he snarled, grabbing me by the hair and nearly lifting me off my feet with the force of it. I cried out in surprise, toes brushing over the ground. My hands scrabbled at his, trying to loosen his grip, but my seven year old strength was no match for my father. "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing out here with that little boy? Do you realize he could have been a muggle that slipped in through the defenses? What have your mother and I always said to you? You. Are. A. Black," he hissed, spit flying from the corners of his mouth. I was bawling outright now, my wails mingling with Hokey's and echoing into the otherwise silent woods.
"I'm sorry, Father!" I cried, still trying to get him to release his hands from my hair. He finally did, but after he had yanked his hand through my now tangled hair he slapped me across the face, hard. I must have shut my eyes because when I opened them again I was sitting on the ground, slightly dazed. I raised my hand to my stinging cheek, staring up at my father in terror. He now turned his attention to Hokey. I flinched and screamed again as he backhanded her across the face, sending her flying.
"Hokey," I sobbed reaching towards my favorite house elf.
"It's clothes for you, Hokey," my father bellowed, which only made me cry harder.
"Please Father, please! It's not her fault!" I screamed. "Don't make her go, please, please!" My father ignored me, striding over to Hokey, who was cowering and wailing loud enough to nearly drown me out. Father quickly removed his shoe and sock, throwing the latter at Hokey. She began to shake even harder, and I tried to rise to my feet and run to her, but my father intercepted me. Grabbing my arm hard enough to make me cry out, he jerked me to his side.
"You're coming with me," he snarled. "A Black, mingling with a common, dirty muggle. Despicable. You'll be shut in your room, Andromeda, for a good long time. You have been soft since you were a baby, and if you were my son...well, if you were a boy, I'd beat it out of you." He took a few shuddering deep breaths to calm himself. "I'll speak to Walburga about this, and Druella. But as for the way you're going...not fit for a Black, not at all," he thundered, and with that we disapparated back to the manor.
I never saw Hokey again.
Four Years Later
"Slytherin!" The Sorting Hat bellowed, and I nearly collapsed with relief after nearly three minutes' debate on wether I would fit better in Ravenclaw or Slytherin. I felt like nearly crying from happiness as Professor McGonagall removed the hat from my head, and I skipped down towards my new housemates, hair flowing behind me. I took my seat besides Bella. She offered me a rare smile, patting me on the shoulder.
"Well done, Andromeda," she told me, and I beamed with joy. "Mother and Father will be proud, we'll owl them later." I nodded happily, shaking hands with Gabriel Dolohov and Evan Rosier, who were seated across from me.
"Bloody hell, you two look almost like twins!" An older Slytherin girl gasped, and Bellatrix tightened her arm around me.
"Well we're only a year apart, and we do have rather superior blood," Bella said haughtily, turning my attention back to the Sorting. "Now watch carefully, Andromeda, I'm going to tell you who you should and who you musn't associate with."
I watched along with her, nodding dutifully as she pronounced Campbell, Mary (Ravenclaw) as filthy, and Crowley, Nymphadora (Slytherin) as barely acceptable due to her half-blood status and relative poverty.
To my surprise, Crowley, Nymphadora walked straight up to me and plopped herself down on the empty bench right next to me. I glanced out of the corner of my eye at Bella, but she was already deeply engaged in conversation with Rodolphus Lestrange, seated to her right.
"Hello, I'm Nymphadora, Nymphadora Crowley, but my middle name is Lou and that's what everyone calls me because I hate Nymphadora," she said all in one breath, and I nodded, sticking my hand out.
"I'm Black, Andromeda Black," I told her, giving her a once over. I wasn't sure which feature was more striking - her sharp blue eyes, or striking blonde hair the color of corn silk. "Why don't you like Nymphadora? I think that's a lovely name!" I told her, and she wrinkled her small nose.
"Yuck, no way. Oh, is that your sister? She looks like you." Lou nodded towards Bellatrix, who was still speaking with Rodolphus.
"Yeah, that's Bellatrix, she's a year older," I nodded, swelling with pride. "I have a younger sister too, Narcissa, but she won't be here for another three years. Do you have any siblings?"
"Oh yes, four younger siblings and another on the way!" She sighed, perching her chin on her hand and looking at me as though she were scrutinizing every bit of me. I sat up a bit straighter, feeling as though I was being appraised. "You all have very interesting names as well, Bellatrix and Andromeda and Narcissa," she repeated, and something in my stomach tightened.
I was reminded all of a sudden of another voice that had commented on our names, years ago. Teddy. My boy in the woods. I had looked for him, gone out and searched nearly every day for months after my house arrest period had ended. As the years went on I searched less and less, but I never forgot him, and I never gave up hope that I'd see him at Hogwarts someday. I hadn't seen him at the train station or with the other first years, but I had been so paralyzed with nerves, especially on the boat ride to the castle, that I probably wouldn't have realized if I'd fallen in the Great Lake.
Lou and I continued to chat quietly and welcomed several more new Slytherins to the table, including Antonin Dolohov, who I knew quite well already due to the fact that our parents were close. I knew there was talk of us potentially being a match one day, as there was for Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange, but to me, that was just a normal part of my world. I hardly gave it any thought. I saw Bellatrix turning up her nose several times at Lou, and she refused to greet her or say hello, but as she wasn't a blood traitor or a Mudblood, she didn't care too terribly much. The sorting continued over the dull, quiet noises of hushed conversations taking place all around the hall.
"Tonks, Edward!" McGonagall's voice rang out.
My world stopped. Everyone in the Great Hall disappeared. McGonagall was gone, Dumbledore was a distant spec, even Bella and Lou faded away as I focused all my attention on my boy from the woods. He was taller, thinner, more gangly. He nearly tripped as he walked over to the Sorting Hat. Somewhere in the distance I could hear Bellatrix saying something about Mudbloods, and how we musn't associate with them, and I remember murmuring something confirmatory, but right now all I saw was that Spiderman shirt and the smudge of dirt on Teddy's cheek four years ago. All I heard was his voice - "Is it bad, to be a Mudblood?"
"No," I had told him. "It's not bad, Teddy. You're my friend no matter what."
I couldn't breathe. I longed to run to him, to grab his shoulders and apologize, to let the four years that had passed disappear and pick up right where we had left off. I had only met him twice but there was something so magical about him, about our innocent, short-lived childhood friendship. He was my boy from the woods, and now he was here.
I sat on my hands so Bella wouldn't notice them shaking, and stared intently at Teddy and his floppy, messy blonde hair as the Sorting Hat descended upon his head. I leaned forward slightly, wishing desperately that I could hear what it was saying. I knew that he wouldn't be a Slytherin; he was a Mudblood. Which house would he be in, then? Was he intelligent, like the Ravenclaws? Brave like the Gryffindors? I could see that. Kind, like the Hufflepuffs? I could see that as well. However, I didn't have to wonder much longer -
"Hufflepuff!" The Sorting Hat called, and the table to our left erupted into cheers. I stared unabashedly at him as he walked towards his new table, a beautiful grin stretching across his face. He was greeted with claps on the back and handshakes. And suddenly, his eyes flickered up towards mine.
His mouth dropped open, eyes widening in surprise. He was just a few meters from me; if I wanted, I could stand up, take five steps, and be in front of him, just across the table. I couldn't look away, and neither could he. I knew he recognized me, I knew it - I also knew I shouldn't acknowledge him, not in front of Bellatrix, but I couldn't help it. My hand raised to a wave - but before I could lift it completely, he looked away quickly and threw himself into greeting his new housemates, looking everywhere but at me.
Stunned, I quickly tucked my hair behind my ear to cover up the beginning of my wave.
"Andromeda, why are you staring at that Mudblood?" Bella wrinkled her nose, snapping her fingers in front of my face. I started slightly, and could feel my cheeks growing hot. My mind was spinning. Why had he ignored me? I knew he had seen me, I knew he had recognized me. I felt it. He knew who I was. Had he forgotten? Was he scared?
"I'm not staring Bella, just looking," I soothed her, tearing my eyes away from Teddy and back towards the front of the room. Lou was looking at me with a curious expression on her face. My entire face was burning now, and to my horror, my eyes were stinging slightly. I was determined to find him after the meal and speak to him.
It wasn't long before the last first year - Zimmerman, George, a Gryffindor - was sorted, and Dumbledore took his place at the podium to start his welcome speech. I had been looking forward to this moment for years. I'd dreamt of this day, of taking my place next to my beloved older sister at the Slytherin table. But all I could think about was Teddy.
Seconds and minutes dragged by, viscous as honey. I tried my best to engage with the other girls in my year - Lou, Elspeth, Victoria, Donna, Mary Ann - but my heart wasn't in it.
Finally, the end of the meal arrived and the rest of the Great Hall stood to exit.
"First year Slytherins, to me!" The Slytherin heads of house - Alice and Gregory - were calling, and we fell into line.
"Oh, no!" I spoke up suddenly, reaching a hand up to my ear and quickly, sneakily removing one of my earrings. I slipped it into the sleeve of my robe. "I think I've lost an earring," I said to Bellatrix, taking a step away from the rest of the first years. "I'll see you later, Bella."
She wrinkled her nose. "You ought to take better care of your belongings, Andromeda. I've got to leave now with the second years but remember what I told you," she said sternly, putting her hands on my shoulders. "No Mudbloods, no blood traitors. If you have any questions, you know where to find me. I'm glad you're in Slytherin with me!"
"Me too," I nodded, desperately wanting to tell her about Teddy but knowing I couldn't. She turned around and walked out of the Great Hall with her fellow second years, and I busied myself pretending to look for my earring.
"Oi! You all right, there?" I heard the Hufflepuff Head Girl call, and I snapped my head up. The entire group of Hufflepuffs was staring at me, including Teddy. "You should stay with your heads of house, you don't want to get left behind."
I opened and closed my mouth. "Erm - I've just lost an earring, it's alright, I've got it now," I lied, holding up the "lost" earring. The girl nodded and turned back to her group of first years. I hurried outside the Great Hall, hiding behind one of the large oak doors until I saw the Hufflepuffs trail through them, Teddy at the end, talking and laughing with another boy.
"Teddy!" I whispered sharply, peeking around. "Teddy!" I said, slightly louder. He turned around and looked at me in surprise, the smile melting off his face. I ran up to the group of Hufflepuffs, slipping in mostly unnoticed. Teddy and the other boy were looking at me with undisguised confusion.
"Teddy, it's me!" I said quickly, hating that the other boy was staring at me and hearing what should have been a private conversation. "Don't you remember?" I asked desperately. I could feel the heat of embarrassment returning to my cheeks. My stomach was twisting and doing backflips - I was making an absolute fool of myself, chasing after a Mudblood Hufflepuff who didn't even look like he remembered me. He was looking at me with a blank, confused expression on his face, so different than the one of shock that he'd regarded me with earlier. I had been so sure then...but now, it truly looked like he had never seen me before in his life.
Even so, I drank in the details of his face. He was taller than me now, and his face was slightly older - I supposed mine was as well. But his kind brown eyes were the same. I remembered that the most that golden brown color, tawny, like a lion's. How could he not remember?
"I'm sorry," Teddy shook his head. "You must have me confused with someone else. I don't know you at all." The boy next to him let out a giggle.
"Looks like someone's already got a crush on you, Ted," he guffawed, elbowing him.
My heart absolutely dropped to the bottom of my shoes and a rush of red hot anger blew through me.
"It really isn't any of your business, is it?" I snapped, putting my hands on my hips. "Why don't you run along with the other Hufflepuffs?"
"Why don't you run along with the other snakes?" He retaliated, eyeing me with distaste. "Ted, do you know who this is? This is Andromeda Black. Her older sister is Bellatrix Black, the one I told you about," he gave him a significant look, and Teddy - Ted now, apparently - winced and nodded. I fought back the urge to exclaim, "what?!"
I could feel the tears beginning to form in my eyes. They stung sharply, and I knew it was a matter of moments before my composition began to crumble. I had to try one more time, then I never would again. I wouldn't let myself be further embarrassed.
"Teddy? From the woods, don't you remember? We were seven," I spoke one more time, my voice sounding small and broken. He looked at me with pity, and my heart hardened slightly.
"I'm sorry," he said softly, shaking his head. "I don't know you."
I nodded briskly, squaring my shoulders and trying to remember who I was. I was a Black. I had just been sorted into Slytherin house, the most noble of them all. I had to remember who I was. "So sorry to have wasted your time, I think I may actually have had you confused with someone else." My voice sounded foreign to my own ears, millions of miles away. I turned on my heel, refusing to look at him for even a second more.
"She's crazy," I heard the other boy whisper loudly after me, and I fought the urge to turn around and slap him. Stinging with the pain and humiliation of rejection, I began to run as soon as I turned the corner where I had seen the other Slytherins disappear. I vowed to never embarrass myself like that ever, ever again. The way they had looked at me, laughed at me...I knew I had been sheltered, I knew that from the moment that I arrived at the train station and saw how all those other kids interacted with each other and with their parents. I was terrified; I already could tell that we were different.
This just confirmed it. Something that had meant so much to me growing up, something that I held onto through my parents' cruelty, through never feeling good enough, through being shaped and formed into someone I didn't want to be...and he didn't even remember me. Well, I'd never make that mistake ever again.
A/N: I would love to hear what you think!